Election 2007 Chippewa board, trustee candidates give views at forum

DOYLESTOWN -- The candidates took the floor Thursday night at Chippewa Middle School when the Wayne County League of Women Voters held a candidates forum.

Candidates for Chippewa board and Chippewa trustees promoted ideas and answered questions, following each other in quick succession for the two-hour event.

With just one minute to answer questions, some candidates ran over their time. At one point, trustee candidate Ralph Jarvis stood silent with his arms mid-gesture for a second when the timekeeper told him the time was up.

Incumbent board member Chris Crawford had gotten out, "And I will..." when the timekeeper flashed the ending sign. He finished his sentence, "...not say any more."

Board candidate Bill Brown said in his opening address the busing chaos of the first few weeks of school was "foreseeable and preventable." Letting go of five seasoned bus drivers was a "bad mistake" since those drivers found jobs elsewhere and weren't available for recall when the 1 percent income tax passed in August, he said.

No one likes to lose a job, said candidate J. Hunter Fox later in response to a question about busing and the drivers' treatment. The board did what it had to do, he said, and he believes Superintendent Doug Shamp did a commendable job in a short time to restore much of the busing.

All staff members should feel positive about their jobs, Crawford said, noting in the long term, the busing should come back.

The board cut busing for financial reasons, said incumbent Doug Zook. The drivers were unhappy because their hours were reduced, but overall, district employees have been understanding, he said.

In the trustee race, one of the issues that divided candidates was the policing of the township.

"Chief, I'm going out on a limb again," said candidate Larry Sams. "I'm the one who started this."

Sams wrote a letter to a local newspaper proposing the Doylestown Police Department could police the township less expensively than the Wayne County Sheriff's Office.

The deputies do a great job covering the township -- when they're here, Sams said.

The township pays for 80 hours of patrol a week, which means deputies might have to respond from the opposite side of the county if an incident happens in the remaining hours, he said.

One township resident out of 60 did not like the idea of Doylestown policing the township, according to a survey he conducted, he said.

After 30 years of sheriff protection, the people are still happy with it, said incumbent Jeff Prebish. An advantage to using the Sheriff's Office is use of the jail and other services comes with the fee, he said. Doylestown police has no holding facility, he said.

The township and the village have never talked about expanding the village's police department, he said.

Jarvis, a village councilman, confirmed that. He doesn't have feelings either way, he said. The decision should be the people's.

Candidate Dennis Toth said eight years ago the trustees asked for a bid from the village, which came out more expensive than the Sheriff's Office.

Mutual aid agreements with surrounding law enforcement agencies help in cases when a deputy is far from the township, Toth said.

Resident Michelle Ries said she walked away from the forum better informed about the candidates and closer to deciding who would receive her votes.

She wished candidates would have addressed the possibility of merging the township and the village as a single political entity.

Timekeeper Don Lance said he has been politically involved for some time, but this is the first time he was asked to keep the time.

Some of the candidates are unique, he said, and he didn't have any unaddressed questions.

Reporter Sarah Skylark Bruce can be reached at (330) 287-1623 or e-mail sbruce@the-daily-record.com.